Christmas in 08

Here's a shot of one of my roommates and I- Michelle. She's a
very dear friend with a real and tender heart towards people,
and she has a lot of wisdom and encouragement to give. Te amo
Michelle!
Christmas day I spent with Michelle's family. This is Michelle's
mom in the middle- Mary- a very sweet lady who often has
me cracking up! And on her left is Trisha, a new friend here in
Murrieta who is so sweet and thoughtful.
The three of us with Mary behind the camera.
I spent Christmas eve with my family. We got to watch
Hal open his gifts- yes! a cell phone, just like mom and dad.
He seems to get a lot of calls from Bob the Builder on this phone
though. :)
Posing with his new Bob the Builder hat. Cheese!

Nephew Hal, The Bro, and Brandon Da Bomb

Thanksgiving came around and I had the opportunity to
spend it with my bro, Brandie, Hal, and Brandie's family.
Hal was showing me his new bed that he got from Grandma.
Hal is growing so fast and talking up a storm! I love the time
I get to spend with him. I miss seeing him immensely.
I don't have any current shots of my brother and I so I made
sure I got one. Caught him in the middle of a debate for a quick shot.
"If there's one thing I know...." I love this picture of us.
Here's a picture of some of the amazing people I work with
at the Pregnancy Resource Center. They all minister and
touch my heart in different ways. It's been such a wonderful
and challenging experience volunteering there.
Here's Brandon Da Bomb and I cooking dinner at the home
I now live in. He's a friend and like a little brother to me, with
sweet heart, sharp mind, and wise soul. I am blessed to have
him in my life.
This is at Brandon's band concert. He's a talented saxophonist.
One thing we have in common is that we are both musicians.

Sally Jane, Laura, and date night?

Don't ya just want to hug me?
Big smiles. We were out at ice cream one night and Sally
Jane giggled for the first time. It was great. It was a full
on laugh.
Some more great times and wonderful memories with Laura.
Good to see such a close friend. I miss you!
So what's this all about? Don't I look sophisticated...ha.
It's date night! Laura set me up on a blind date while I was
there. Hmmm. Wonder what the night will hold.
I had a really good time and met an awesome person, Andy.
Here's some big smiles from the Aunt Sgeddie.

Sally Jane and company

Back out to Tennessee! This time to get to visit the new
addition to the Gowen family....Sally Jane!!! Here's a close-up
mom and daughter.
Bonding time with Auntie Sgeddie. I loved spending time
with Sally Jane. She is precious. What a love!!!
Laura and I could so sworn she said hi first thing in the
morning. It was fun to watch her process, learn and try
and talk. Sally Jane had a lot of great stories with some
precious smiles.
She looks like a little girl here. Beautiful. I miss her already.
I love you Sally Jane!!!

Cynthia in Carlsbad

I had the fun opportunity to see Cynthia in Carlsbad! We
visited a beautiful botanical garden.
Playing in the garden quartet orchestra!!
Good times with a dear friend.
Had to of course visit the beach. Therapy to the soul. It
was gorgeous.

Charlie and Company

Here's my buddy Charlie! A real sweetheart and love.
And my other stubborn buddy Sebastian. He's quite the
character. He actually runs the house! I'm just a guest in
his kingdom. :) Even though he won't admit it, he likes to
be loved. Don't ya Sebastian?
And here's sweet Sydney. I woke her up from her afternoon
nap. She loves to be pet and loved on. And she puts up with a
lot of picking on from her brother.
These are my buddies when I do my cat and dog sitting, which I've
been doing alot of lately. But we've been getting more weather lately
and the mountains have gotten 1 ft in a half of snow! So, I'll probably
slow down on the babysitting. Anyway, here's a few shots of my talented,
furosious (not really), loveable little friends!

Little Nephew Hal

Here's little Hal when he was just a baby. Absolutely adorable!
A fun moment with Aunt Amy. I love you Hal!
A family shot with the crazy little monkey!
This is just recent. I got to babysit Hal on Tuesday this week.
He's gotten so big! And his vocabulary is getting bigger too.
Hi and Bu-bye. Thank you!
Playing with numbers and letters on the learning bus. What can
we say he's a genius. :)
It's been fun to watch my nephew grow into a young boy. He's quite the
character and easily makes you smile and laugh. He's a real joy
and blessing.